Friday, April 29

Please be sure to vote for Ernie for King of the Web! We have a donor willing to match the $1,000 prize money if we win, but Ernie's lead is slipping.

If you'd like to help, you can go to the King of the Web site and create a campaign. Uploading an image and creating a poster will earn you 35 points to assign to Ernie, and you'll also get 10 points for commenting on the "Say Something" section of his page. Plus, every day you get 10 votes.
Our lead over the next competitor has slipped to less than 500 votes. We need your help and the help of your family and friends to win this contest. Please help us!
$2000 could do a lot of homeless Frenchies a lot of good!

The Frog Princess

PS Please remember that people are only entitled to one account per person--don't try to set up multiple accounts!

Saturday, April 23

A Good Samaritan acquired Aiyana through a Craigslist ad. You can see photos of this poor dog's condition when the Good Samaritan took her home--emaciated and heartworm positive. Aiyana's kind friend bought her plenty of healthy groceries and prepared her for her move to FBRN and continuing veterinary care for her overall condition and specifically the heartworm.

Aiyana has continued to gain weight in our care and is looking and feeling much better! In a recent update, her foster mom said:

"Aiyana is doing great. She continues to put on weight and is up to 30lbs now. She loves her foster bro and gets along with him so well. They play all the time and do great on walks together. She will be going back to the vet in a week or so to see if she is healthy enough to start on her heartworm meds. There have been no potty accidents at all in the last few weeks so she is doing great with that. She continues to be the sweetest thing ever and loves to give kisses and hugs!!"

Heartworm treatment is difficult and a long haul. At the moment, Aiyana, Alabaster (photo, right), Jelly, Elphie and Goji are all receiving heartworm treatment in foster care. Many of you will remember some of our tough heartworm cases like Gris-Gris Benoit and Muffin and Thalia. Smeagol also has heartworm but he isn't strong enough to undergo the treatment to get rid of them, so he is living with them. Some of the hospice kids--like Pixie--have it or did have it. Bart and Lisa, Harvey, Spangles, Mr. Big, Twila,Violet, Iris,Mouse, Beau, Miz Biz, Crockett, Jolie, and Chumley all came to us with heartworm.

Heartworm used to be something only people in the southern US really worried about. Not anymore. Even areas where heartworm was virtually unheard of, like the Pacific Northwest, are now reporting cases in significant numbers, thanks to the increase and ease of travel, among other things.

Heartworm treatment has changed over the years, and we are very fortunate that even dogs with advanced cases of heartworm, like Muffin and Thalia, have successfully endured their treatment. But treatment is still painful and can be dangerous, and requires an extended period of rest and special care.

Elphie offers a royal raspberry to the pernicious heartworm as she spends her weeks in crate rest while undergoing treatment.

It's important to provide your dogs and cats with heartworm preventative. For some people, heartworm preventative is a year-round obligation, and for others it's more seasonal. For much of the country, now is the time to start your spring/summer preventative treatments--if the robin and the Easter bunny come, can the mosquito be far behind? Sadly, no. And some of those little suckers are going to be toting microfilaria that could kill your unprotected Fido if the larva they deposit into your dog develop into heartworms.

You don't want that.

We'd hate to see it.

Goji gets some cuddles from a friend following his initial dose of heartworm treatment.

Talk to your vet and see about getting a prescription for a heartworm preventative. Somewhere in your area, it's very likely that there's a hungry skeeter looking for a meal. Maybe in your neighborhood. Maybe in your backyard. Maybe buzzing in your Frenchie's ear right this very minute!

(We never hesitate to use fear as a motivator here in the Frog P's kingdom. If it gets the job done, the ends justify the means, that's our feeling.)

Wednesday, April 20

Sunday, April 17

This adorable young frog has plopped in among our fosters and is making himself right at home. Though he is working through some stranger fear, he's learning the ropes and making progress.
His foster mom had this to say about him:

"There is a new man on the block. Wallis is a family surrender here in Michigan. He is a sweet little charmer who just needs to come out of his shell. Wallis is not ready to look for a family yet because of his aggression toward strangers. Every day he gets a little more accepting of unconditional love and lots of petting.

In the week he has been with us he has already become totally accepting of his crate as a rest and sleep area. He is not at all aggressive toward the other Frenchies or the cats. He does not play yet, but it will not be long until he lets his guard down and joins in the fun, I just know it. He has a little respiratory infection and needs to be neutered. Until that is done we are not putting any pressure on him to drop the aggression. We are hoping it will happen naturally and everything will just be easier when he is fixed.

He does not give my husband and me any trouble but we learned all of the warning signs very quickly. If you are careful with him there is no need to worry. We are also finding that one behavior that looks like aggression is just him lunging at your hand to try to get a scratch. He takes treats like a perfect gentleman-- even green beans.

So far he has been to work a few times and behaves very well. He loves the car ride and visiting everyone. Our office is very fur friendly and everyone knows to go slow with Wallis. He is making more and more friends all the time."

Well, sure he is! He's got the kind of face that makes people stop and stare and want to get to know him. He's the kind of frog that men want to be like and women want to snuggle with. Look at him! Once he learns the world's a fine place, he'll be out there rolling down the avenues with a song in his heart and a twinkle in his wee dark eye.

Wednesday, April 13

Dessa is on the available page this week, and though she needs a little more time with the ins and outs of potty training (no pun intended), she is ready to be a wonderful companion to a fortunate family. Here's what her foster mom said in her April update to our volunteers:

"Sweet Dessa is ready to go to the available page! Oh, we miss her already!!

Her allergies are almost all gone. She will roll on carpet every once in a while, but the constant urge to lick or scratch is gone.

The hair on her almost bald hind end has grown back and in general is thicker all around.

The potty training still needs a bit of help. She is comfortable peeing outside but rarely poops outside - that's usually reserved for the pee pee pads. Also, one of her bad habits is to go up to the edge of the pee pee pad and pee off the side of it. With a face like hers, it's hard to be mad.

Other than all that, she is sweet and loving. Whoever ends up with her is going to feel like they won the lottery!"
She's a very appealing little amphibian, in the opinion of